Aztec Ruins National Monument

Quick Facts

Things To Do

Overview

Whether you are just passing through or have a couple hours to spend here, Aztec Ruins National Monument can provide you with a meaningful experience of an ancestral Pueblo site. A 700-yard hike winds its way through ruins of old rooms dating back to the 1100s through 1200s. Remarkable stone masonry, well-preserved wood roofing and original mortar can be explored at this unique site. At the trail's end, you will enter the Great Kiva. This amazing semi-subterranean structure, over 40-feet in diameter, was the central social and religious site of this ancient complex. Now reconstructed, Aztec Ruins' Great Kiva is the oldest and largest building of its kind. After your hike, relax at the visitor center while watching a 25-minute video, "Hisatsinom," revealing the pre-Columbian history of the Four Corners region.

The visitor center, restrooms, picnic tables, and much of the trail are wheelchair accessible. The antechamber looking down into the Great Kiva accommodates most wheelchairs, 29" wide or less. Visitors can also borrow a park wheelchair at the visitor center.

Activities

Picnicking

Picnicking is available within this site.

Seasonality/Weather

Summer high temperatures range between 80 and 90 F with a few days over 100 F. Afternoon thunderstorms will cool things down in late July and August. The fall is pleasant, with mild days and crisp nights. Snow usually hits by Thanksgiving and falls periodically throughout the winter, but accumulations over six inches are rare. Winter daytime temperatures range between the 20 and 50 F with cold nights that can reach 0 F. Spring weather is especially unpredictable: it can be windy, cold, and wet, or still, warm, and dry. Annually, Aztec Ruins receives about 10.5 inches of precipitation.

Directions

Driving

Aztec Ruins National Monument is located on Ruins Road about 1/2-mile north of New Mexico Highway 516, in the City of Aztec, New Mexico.
From Albuquerque/Bloomfield: Follow Highway 550 north into the City of Aztec, turn left at the "T" intersection onto Highway 516, drive 3/4-mile, then turn right immediately after crossing the river onto Ruins Road. Follow Ruins Road 1/2-mile to the Monument.